…But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:3-5 nrsv)

Imagine a time and a place when all that is dark, scary, ugly, and mean in this world will be washed away and imagine a day when you will smile the most amazing smile, and you like Moses will glow because you have seen the face of God. That my friend is what awaits each of us who turns our heart over to Jesus Christ. We have been marked by the sign of Christ, His name is engraved upon our foreheads because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ who laid down his life to rescue us from sin.

Imagine what the world would be like if we lived every day like we understood this. I sit at my dining room table struggling with the words for this devotion because it is so much easier to walk over to my TV and watch some flashy drama then sit down at my computer and open my Bible and examine just what God has in store for me. Christ hung on the cross for me and for you. He has taken up our sin. He stands before God and defends our complacent lives.

"We are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves." This does not mean that we are helpless to change. We have the Triune God walking beside us each and every moment of each and every day. We have the Holy Bible sitting on our night table waiting to enlighten us with its powerful message. We have houses of worship with called ministers waiting to guide us on the path to righteousness. We have the power of prayer, a direct connection to our Creator.

Let's jump in with both feet. Open each day with a conversation with God, take some time before the morning paper to open the scriptures, and switch off the TV a few minutes earlier and make The Holy Bible our good night story. Enter the house of God on the Sabbath and feed our spirits with the Bread of Life. Trust God and talk to Him first when we are frustrated, joyful, discouraged, impressed. He is there every minute of every day, we don't need a special time to breathe the words "Thank you God, or Lord please help me."

Lent - forty days to walk with God in a new way. Imagine.

Lord grant me the courage to change my heart. Amen

Contributed by Debra
Monday February 18, 2013
Liturgical Year C: Week 12
Liturgical Color: Purple
Sunday Gospel reading:
First Sunday in Lent